Nazi with explosives sentenced to 11 years

by Viv Smith

Published Tue 19 Jan 2010

Issue No. 2185

British National Party (BNP) member Terence Gavan was jailed last week for 11 years after police found 54 improvised explosive devices, including nail bombs and 12 firearms, at his home in West Yorkshire.

This came in the same week as the fascist BNP launched its general election campaign.

Gavan was said to have a “strong hostility” towards immigrants and was planning to target an address he believed was linked to the 7 July 2005 bomb attacks in London.

He admitted to being a member of the BNP – a fact that was emphasised by letters to him from the party as well as copies of party publications found in his home.

This is by no means an isolated incident. Two years ago BNP candidate Robert Cottage was jailed for building up an arsenal of illegal explosive chemicals at his Lancashire home.

Just over ten years ago former BNP member David Copeland murdered three people in his nail bomb campaign across London.

Weyman Bennett, joint secretary of Unite Against Fascism, said, “These incidents show why we say the BNP is not a legitimate democratic party and should not be treated as one. It is a Nazi organisation dedicated to spreading racial terror on the streets.”

In the same week, the Guardian newspaper revealed police statistics showing that when the BNP wins seats hate crime rises.

One of the biggest increases came to Barking’s Eastbury ward after Jeffrey Steed’s election in 2006.

Racially motivated violence, theft and criminal damage more than doubled. A total of 45 racial incidents were reported